Angel in a Black Suit
by ilvrmorny
Summary: AU: Leia decides that it's time for her son to come home; whether he likes it or not. In a last-ditch effort to take him away from the dark side Leia kidnaps her son and forces him to live among the rebels without revealing that Ben Solo and Kylo Ren are one and the same. Between hiding his identity and brooding in his room Kylo Ren makes some unexpected discoveries about himself.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its characters.

Rating might change to M in later chapters.

There will be some slight deviations from Canon: Han and Finn are more severely injured during the battle on Maz Kanata's planet in this story than they were in the movie, and Starkiller Base hasn't been used yet.

Chapter One: The Plan

Leia Organa poured over the reports on her desk. With a heavy sigh she turned the page. No matter how hard she tried to focus, her brain refused to absorb the information. The reports were far from interesting, yet they were a necessary part of being a General. And unfortunately, recently focusing had become increasingly difficult.

She had become a general in an attempt to forget about what happened. Desperately hoping that overworking would keep her brain occupied. For a while it had worked, and she had been able to shut out the piercing pain that came with thoughts of _him_. Yet recently _he_ had become more active in the First Order.

She closed her eyes as her thoughts flashed back to the first time she had read a report with her sons name in it. "No" she told herself "His name is Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren." She had locked herself in her room for a solid 24 hours, she did not want the other rebels to see just how much her son's actions had damaged her. If the rebels became discouraged all hope would be lost, and as a general it was up to her to keep the atmosphere positive.

Yet she did not think she would ever get used to seeing "Kylo Ren" on the reports. She had considered telling the rebels to refer to him by his real name: Ben Solo. But she had decided against it. Firstly because hearing the others refer to Ben Solo as the enemy would be unbearable. And also because she was not ready for all the rebels to know.

There were rumours of course, it was no secret that her son had gone rogue. Even those in the outer rim knew of Luke's disappearance. The fact that his own student had turned against him was less well-known, the fact that the student in question was their General's son was a well-kept secret.

She had never publicly announced that Ben Solo had taken up the mantle of Kylo Ren. She knew she owed it to the rebels to tell them. Yet she still held hope in her heart that one day Ben would return to her. If the rebels knew that he was Kylo Ren, he would never be welcomed here.

Leaning back in her chair Leia rubbed her eyes tiredly. Letting them sweep through the room another wave of sadness overtook her. Her offices used to be decorated with pictures of family and friends; yet her current chambers were cold. The people dearest to her were either dead, gone, or lost. She did not want to be reminded of that every day by putting up their pictures.

Forcing her thoughts away from her family she gripped the report with determination. The reason this report was particularly difficult for her to accept is that it involved her son kidnapping the girl, Rey. On top of that he had caused both the Stormtrooper and Han Solo significant damage. Both of them were currently in the medical wing. Whilst both of them were stable, no one knew for sure how long it would be until either of them were discharged.

The report described an event that had returned Han Solo to her, yet never before had her son felt further away from her. The report said it, in taunting square letters:

 _Kylo Ren force blasted Han Solo against a tree. Inflicting injuries of currently unknown severity._

If Ben had felt no remorse for injuring his father, what would keep him from doing the same to his mother? - _No._ she stopped herself, there was still hope. She had never been a true practitioner of the Jedi ways. But she was sensitive to the Force regardless. She simply knew that there was still light in Ben. As long as that light was there, it was possible that he might return home.

Her eyes had barely finished skimming the first page when a hesitant knock sounded on her door.

"Enter." She said absentmindedly. Her eyes moved from the report to the heavy door and took in the boy that had appeared in the doorway. He was young, definitely no older than Ben. He was scrawny and looked like puberty was taking its time with him. She wondered what Ben looked like now, would he have started to shave? Han had told her that it had taken a long time before he had started to grow facial hair. She wondered if his voice had broken and what it sounded like now…

"Commander Rex is calling an emergency meeting. We have new information on the First Order's new base." The boy said, he was trying to be confident but the signs of nervosity were shining through his voice. "He asked me to escort you there."

She nodded at the boy, trying to keep the agony out of her eyes. "Thank you." She had not yet changed out of her uniform and, with a glance at the mirror across the room, decided that she looked presentable. "I will come with you immediately."

The boy looked relieved at that and stated:"Right, follow me please General."

Her feet carried her through the halls of the base. The boy looked like he would faint if she tried to strike a conversation. She might have tried to comfort him if her mind had been in a different place. As it was, it took all she had to get into General-mode.

Once the boy had led her to the meeting room she noticed that she was likely the last one to arrive. Commander Rex looked relieved to see her, and she sent a nod his way.

"Good you could join us on such short notice, General." He said warmly. Then, his expression turned more solemn and he continued "We have obtained new information on the size and functions of the so-called Starkiller Base."

"Why are we so worried. It's just another Death Star." One of the younger recruits said confidently, then, with a grin to the elderly rebels:"I hear you have some experience with destroying those."

Some of the younger rebels grinned excitedly. She wondered if they had ever been in a real battle. Ben had been in many battles of course. Her heart ached to see him standing there with the young recruits, as a virgin to the horrors of war.

Commander Rex looked far from excited. With a push on the screen in front of him a familiar hologram of the Death Star appeared in the centre of the meeting room.

"This was the Death Star." Commander Rex stared.

"And this…" Commander Rex spoke solemnly "…This is Starkiller Base" as he said the words an imposing hologram showed up next to the Death Star. A collective gasp went through the room as a wave of shock and despair swept through the room. The Death Star seemed minuscule in comparison to this new evil base. Her brain could not begin to fathom the damage Starkiller Base would be able to inflict.

Her heart felt heavy in her chest. Her eyes were sticking to the hologram and it seemed impossible to tear them away. She was not alone; an eery silence hung in the room. The significance of Starkiller base was not lost on her fellow rebels. It was likely that the base would have the power to destroy planets; and everything on them. In other words, the base might very well mean the end of the rebellion.

But for Leia the base held a different danger. The thought of who was most likely walking through the halls of the base made her heart cry out in pain. Her lost son…

"Fortunately for us, construction of the base had been halted temporarily and the base is not fully operational yet. Unfortunately, it's defences are active and in prime condition. At worst we have three months before the base will be ready for use. And there is not a thought in my mind that the First Order will use this weapon as soon as they can."

"General Organa?"

Leia's thoughts were interrupted. Heavily she tore her eyes away from the base. In an attempt to compose herself she ran her hands over her pants to smoothen them out whilst straightening her back. No matter how she felt, making sure the rebels did not lose hope was vital. There was simply no room for an emotional breakdown now.

"Do you think there is a way to destroy Starkiller Base?"

She knew there was away, there simply had to be. As she racked her brain for a solution another, younger recruit spoke up confidently:"There has to be a way."

Leia saw no point in lying, and with heavy heart she spoke:"We had more knowledge of the layout and weaknesses of the Death Stars. Without knowing those it will be next to impossible to impose any relevant damage."

Turning to Commander Rex she continued:"What do we know about the design of this base?"

Commander Rex heaved a sigh. Commander Rex was young for a Commander, yet as he spoke he looked older than he had ever looked. Apparently even the younger recruits noticed his change in demeanour, as their grins fell off their faces.

"I am afraid our knowledge is very limited. It appears that the First Order had learned from the Empire's mistakes. We have some knowledge of how Starkiller Base operates and how it obtains its power. Yet realistically I see no way to destroy it."

Silence hung through the room for a few seconds as Commander Rex was lost in his thoughts:"The only way we might be able to inflict damage is if we find a way to lower the shields. But seeing as there is no way to lower those from the outside the situation is bleak. In order to lower the shields we would need someone with insider information, or an actual insider. There is some chance that the Stormtrooper who has converted to our side- "

"-Finn, his name is Finn." Poe Dameron interrupted. He held up his hands in defence when General Rex shot him a look. Undeterred by this, Poe shrugged and said:"Just thought you ought to know."

"Anyway" Commander Rex continued " _Finn_ might have valuable information. But as it is, he is in a medically induced coma and we don't know how much information he will be able to provide us with yet."

Looking at the defeated faces in the room filled her with sadness. There had to be a way to fix this. They had been fighting against the dark side for so long…

She racked her brain for a solution, yet none presented itself to her. As she glanced around the room she noticed that the other rebels had turned to look at her hopefully. She took a breath in order to steady her voice:"We will further explore the possibilities and meet again in two days time to discuss the definite course of action. Remember, we have faced worse threats and we have managed to overcome them. There is still hope. Let's all retire to our quarters to process this new information."

Whilst the others looked slightly less defeated than before, the lack of a concrete plan still hung over the room like a heavy blanket. She fought to keep her face steady until everybody but Commander Rex had left the room.

They stood side by side in silence. The hologram of Starkiller Base loomed in the room and two pairs of eyes were staring at it intently. Leia found her own eyes sticking to the hologram like it would magically present them with the solution to their predicament, and she could tell that Commander Rex was doing the same. She could hardly imagine the sheer size of the base. Her mind wandered to thoughts of how many Stormtroopers the base held, thoughts of Stormtroopers turned into thoughts of who commanded the base, and those thoughts turned into thoughts of him.

Leia's mouth betrayed her; and the words had left it before she had time to take them back:"There is someone we know on Starkiller Base…" She had mumbled the words to herself. It had been a thought that had somehow slipped through her lips.

General Rex's head shot up at her words:"You can't possibly mean-" Leia interrupted him softly:"Yes, yes that is _exactly_ who I mean."

And the more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that it was the only way. They needed someone inside the base. Someone with the knowledge and power to stop the weapon from being employed. They needed her son.

"There is still light in him. I just know it." She said with determination. Her eyes met the doubtful eyes of Commander Rex.

"It is the only way. Without insider help or information it is impossible to infiltrate Starkiller Base to disable the shields. And without disabling the shields it will be impossible to get within firing distance of the base." Leia stated. "If we can only bring him home, show him that he has a home and that he is loved he will return to the light. I am his mother, Ceto."

She knew there was nothing Commander Rex could tell her now to change her mind. They were going to bring Ben Solo home, whether he liked it or not.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks so much for the positive feedback! It means a lot :) If I'm going to pair Kylo with anyone it'll most likely be Rey. There's a 50% chance that they are related though so I'm not sure yet. What do you guys think?

Chapter two

"You really haven't changed, have you?" An all-too familiar voice filled the room.

Leia turned around and quirked an elegant brow. Han Solo was standing in the doorway of her chambers. His presence seemed out of place in the cold and formal room. His casual demeanor contrasted sharply with the organized room. Han glanced around the bleak room in distaste, she knew he had always liked decorations. Decorations made of _gold_ specifically.

Leia snorted and stood up from her chair. She put her slender hands on her waist in defiance and retorted:"I can say the same about you. Same hair. Same jacket…"

Han was undeterred by this and took a step toward her. Never one to back down from a challenge, Leia stepped forward as well. "And you –" Han said with a lopsided grin "- Are still as stubborn as ever."

Leia rolled her eyes in exasperation. Apparently Han found her annoyance highly amusing as another insufferable grin was plastered on his face.

"What are you laughing at?" Leia demanded.

"What." Han said as he put a hand over his heart in faked offense:" I can't just look at you and laugh?"

"Honestly Han, aren't we past this childish banter." Leia said, unable to keep the smile off her face. Han took another step toward her: "Yes. We are probably are. It's a good reminder of how things used to be regardless."

"Am I going to get an explanation of what made you come back, and why you were in the medical wing?" Leia demanded.

"Well it's a combination of a chance encounter with a droid and a healthy amount of luck." Han said, his signature grin spread across his face.

"I guess you have-" Leia started, only to be interrupted by the feeling of Han's arms wrapping around her. As he held her to his chest she could feel the sadness well up inside her. She closed her eyes and pressed her head deeper into his torso. Han tightened his arms around her: "God, I missed you Leia."

She was quiet for a second. It had been so long since she had seen Han. Ever since Ben had left them everything had been different. She realized now how much she had missed Han's presence. She had attributed losing Ben as the main reason for the emptiness she felt inside her. Yet as Han held her in his arms she realized she needed Han just as much as she needed Ben.

"I miss him, too." Han added.

"So do I." Leia added with a heavy sigh. Slowly Han's grip around her loosened and Leia raised her head to seek out his eyes. "There's still hope." She whispered.

Han was not convinced, his face had always been an open book. His face was currently a combination of disbelief and disappointment. "I can feel it Han! There is still good in him, there's still a chance that he will come home…"

Han was still not convinced. "Leia please, Luke told him that there will always be a place for him in our family. There's no point in trying to reach out to him, it's too risky."

"I know that. Don't pretend you're the voice of reason here Han! It doesn't suit you." Leia said, feeling frustration bubble up inside her. "I know that telling him we love him will not bring him home, I am afraid he is too far gone. I would not be surprised if he's forgotten what it's like to be loved. That's why we have to _show_ him."

"Show him? And just how do you propose we do that?! Write him a love song? Read him a romantic novel perhaps?" Han said incredulously. Then he gently grabbed her hand:" I know it's hard to accept Leia, it's been hard for me too. But we simply need to accept that… that he's not coming home."

Han lowered his eyes dejectedly. Leia sadly noted that his face now resembled the face of a man who had lost all hope. "Han please. I won't be able to live with myself if we don't even _try._ " Leia pleaded, she raised her hand to his chin and added: "And I know you can't either."

She hadn't noticed that Han's hands had still been placed on her waist until he dropped them.

"I know." He said. "You're right, you're always right. Do you really think we can get him back?" He asked, hope was slowly breaking through the mask of despair that had been on Han's face for years.

She nodded, and apparently that was all that Han needed.

"Okay then, let's do this." He had barely finished his sentence when he turned around on his heels.

"You can't possible intend to leave _now_? Where on earth do you think you're going? Please tell me you're not planning to simply march into Starkiller base and ask the first Stormtrooper you see where our son is?" Leia said, at this point there wasn't anything she would put past Han.

Han halted in his step and turned his head to face her: "Of course not." He said in exasperation. "I'm meeting with Finn and Commander Rex to find out as much as I can about Starkiller Base, and _then_ I'm going to march into Starkiller base and ask the first Stormtrooper I see where Ben is."

Leia would have found this amusing, if it wasn't for the fact that she strongly suspected that Han was being serious. Seeing the look on her face Han turned to face her: "Don't worry, Finn, the ex-stormtrooper I came here with, is awake and he's agreed to come with me. He knows Starkiller base, and between the three of us I'm sure we'll be able to figure this out."

Leia opened her mouth to retort but Han brought a finger to his lips to silence her: "I'll come back to you, I promise. And so will Ben."

"Are you implying that I'm staying here?" Leia asked in disbelief. Han once more grabbed a hold of her hands and folded his fingers around them. "Leia, I know you think I'm still as reckless as I was thirty years ago, but believe it or not, I have matured since then. You're too important, if the rebellion loses you all hope will be lost. Please, you're needed here."

"You're not going without me, and that's not up for discussion." Leia said defiantly.

Han smiled at her softly: "I'll see you in the morning Leia,

"Please don't do anything reckless."

"I like to think of myself as being adventurous."

"Yet most people would simply call you stupid."

"Goodnight Leia." Han said before closing the door softly behind him.

"Goodnight Han…" She whispered after the door was closed.

"This is a bad idea." Finn said. Han Solo rolled his eyes: "Well yeah kid, what were you expecting?"

Finn couldn't believe his ears. His heart was thumping in his chest uncontrollably; he wasn't sure if going on a suicide-mission excited him or scared him to death.

"I don't know." Finn replied honestly: "But I was at least expecting some sort of plan."

" _Details_ ," Han shrugged in response "I don't _do_ details, they never work out anyway. I say we just improvise."

"Besides, we _do_ have a plan." Han said indignantly, before turning to Chewie and saying:"Chewie, prepare calculations to make the jump at lightspeed."

"-You honestly call sneaking out in the middle of the night so Leia doesn't realize you're gone, smuggling extremely strong sedatives out of the medical wing, and attempting to _LAND AT LIGHTSPEED A PLAN?"_ Saying that his current predicament was freaking Finn out would be an understatement. He shakily reached to secure his seatbelt and to strap himself to the chair he was sitting in. He seriously doubted how much help a seatbelt would be during a crash at _lightspeed_. He felt comforted when he heard the belt click regardless.

He hardly had any time to prepare himself for the jump. As he felt the sensations of a jump at lightspeed he closed his eyes and chanted: _It's going to be okay, you're bringing Rey home, it's going to be-_

"You can open your eyes, kid." A very smug looking Han Solo said. Chewie made a triumphant sound from his seat.

Carefully Finn opened one eye, when he saw that all his limbs were still in tact he popped the other one open as well. "You did it?!" He exclaimed.

"Of course I did!" Han exclaimed, then, he turned back to Finn and said:"You ready for this?"

"No." Finn said as his eyes caught sight of the imposing Base through the window of the Falcon.

"Good, let's go."

Finn held up his hands and whispered as loudly as he could: "No. No, no, no. Before we leave can you please let me know just what and we're going to do."

"You find Rey, I'll do my thing, and we'll meet back here. If the opportunity arises we will try to catch some Stormtroopers off guard and steal their uniforms so we can go undercover. If we manage to go undercover you will do all the stormtrooper-talking, since you have some more… well, knowledge of how to blend in with stormtroopers."

"Okay." Said Finn. He had never really been on a secret mission before. Han Solo however was a war hero, so he assumed that the man knew what he was doing. "Sure, yes, okay that sounds all right. Why didn't we just ask Leia to come though? And what exactly is this _thing_ you're going to do?"

Han Solo looked at Finn impatiently, then he motioned for Chewie that is was time to go. Finn almost thought that Han was going to simply ignore his questions when the man answered.

"I have known Leia for a long time now, and once she has her mind set on something she's going to get it. There's something in this Base Leia wants. If I don't go get it, she's going to try to get it herself and she'll probably get killed in the process. I don't intend for that to happen." Han said as he started walking through the heavy snowfall.

"You ready?"

Finn didn't answer, it didn't matter whether he was ready or not. He was going to save Rey regardless.

The first thing he noticed when the sedatives wore off was the sharp pain in his side. He let out a hiss as his hand shot to his ribs in an attempt to numb the pain.

It took him a moment to straighten out his mind, he was no stranger to pain after all. He could handle this. With determination Kylo Ren popped his eyes open and as he took in his surroundings he was engulfed by fear.

He was in what appeared to be a medical chamber or some kind. Several needles were jammed in his side and his heartbeat was being monitored on a screen to his left. He hardly registered any of this information, the one thing his eyes were glued to was the taunting symbol of the rebels.

He had been captured. As memories of his capture came flooding back to him he balled his hands into fists. He was going to _murder_ Han Solo.

He, Leader of the Knights of Ren, had been captured. Captured by Han Solo of all people. He felt the anger burning through his veins and soon he was engulfed in pure rage. The only thing on his mind was killing Han Solo, and making sure that it was as painful and drawn-out as possible.

"I see you're awake." A new voice said. What appeared to be a rebel showed up in the doorway. Kylo Ren attempted to stand up but the shooting pain in his side slowed him down significantly.

The rebel seemed amused by his attempt to stand, and by the time Kylo had managed to get one foot on the floor on the left side of the bed, the rebel had already locked the door behind him.

"Sit, please. There's no point in tiring yourself out." The rebel said. Yet Kylo saw right through his feigned niceness, he knew what the rebels were like. They only wanted to use him, he had experienced first-hand just how "good" the light-side was.

He felt another wave of rage flood through his systems and he let it overtake him, reveling in it. He faced the rebel with a deathly stare and spat out: "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you. Please, I _dare_ you."

The rebel arched a brow, completely unimpressed by his threat. Kylo was taken aback for a second, it didn't happen often that someone was not intimidated by him in the slightest.

"My name is Commander Rex. I am one of the rebels that know that you are the Kylo Ren that has inflicted so much pain and suffering on this world." Commander Rex spat the last part out in disgust.

"The one and only, that's me." Kylo said just to spite the Commander. The Commander narrowed his eyes and continued his speech: "The other rebels are, as it is, unaware of this information. We'd like to keep it that way."

That took Kylo slightly by surprise. He quirked a brow at the Commander and said mockingly: "So you're not going to make a big deal of the fact that you managed to capture me, and then publicly execute me?"

"No-"

"That's too bad, I'd rather die than stay in this dump any longer."

Before he knew it the Commander was in his face and had gripped his arm tightly. "Listen to me very carefully. Don't take us for fools, we have inserted a device inside you that blows up on _my_ command. So unless you want the Stormtroopers to have to retrieve you limb by limb, I suggest you take me seriously."

The rage welled up in him and he did nothing to stop it, he embraced it. He needed to feel the comforts of the Dark Side, to be completely immersed by it. He felt the Dark Side reaching for his anger, his hate. Whenever he felt himself slip to the light side he became more aware of the horrors of the acts he had performed. For him, the light came with nothing but guilt and pain. Yet the dark offered him an escape. It clung to his strongest emotions and completely overtook his system whenever it was present. The Dark did not care about right or wrong like the Light. It cared about his emotions, and supported whichever choice he made.

He felt the Dark Side racing to his darkest emotions, yet as it was about to collide with them it stopped. It was like it had hit a glass wall. He could feel the Dark Side reaching for him, offering him comfort. Yet no matter how much he tried to spur them on it didn't come close enough to comfort him. He knew that, had he had the power of the Dark Side with him, the man in front of him would be the recipient of a force choke right now.

As it was the Commander was standing to his left, with a smug smirk on his face. "Like I said, don't take us for fools. We have administered force inhibitors in your system."

The words hit him like a truck. He wasn't sure how to deal with this. He had no idea what would happen to him if he was suddenly got cut off from the Force for an extended amount of time. "You can't do this to me." He said angrily to the Commander, refusing to show just how _scared_ he was at the prospect of losing the comforts of the Dark Side. It made him realize just how dependent he had become on it.

"As a matter of fact, I can, and I will." Commander Rex said as he turned on his heels to leave the room.

His anger was strong enough that, force inhibitors or not, he forgot all about the sharp pains in his ribs. He shot up from the bed and grabbed Commander Rex by the throat. Commander Rex simply laughed: "I'd watch your step if I were you. If you kill me, this room will be the last one you ever see."

At these words Kylo reluctantly released the Commander's throat. Even he could see that choking the Commander to death would not help him in any way. It would only deepen the hole he was currently in. After Kylo dropped his hands the Commander grinned smugly.

Then he turned on his heels and said: "Good boy. Just to warn you, there will be another meeting. A more _formal_ meeting where your parents will be present. They might have faith in you, but I see you for what you truly are: a piece of scum. It'd be in your best interest if you don't mention this encounter to anyone. Including your parents."

The words barely made it through the shroud of anger that was surrounding Kylo. But nonetheless, he did not have a death wish. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. One thing was clear in his mind however: he was going to escape, and he was going to destroy the rebels in the process.


End file.
